VOX Box: D is for Discerning Palate
Characters * Destruction of the Endless * Barnabas * Delirium of the Endless * Dream of the Endless Location * Costa Perdida, Corto Maltese * October 21st 2016, 1452 Local Time VOX Archive * Destruction: scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, pause, scritch, scriiiiiitch, sigh I'd? Buyed? Cried? Died? Hm... Dried? Eye'd? Fried? Hmm... fuh-fuh-fuh-fuh... gasp Aha! I have it! scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch There! It's finished. Are you ready for this, Barnabas? * Barnabas: sigh As I'll ever be... * Destruction: shuffling, groan Ahem. footsteps I call this "Basilisk and Cockatrice: A Moral Poem". * Barnabas: ... here we go. * Destruction: I dreamed I saw a basilisk, That basked upon a rocky shore. I looked upon the basilisk. With eyes of stone, I looked no more. I dreamed I saw a cockatrice, a-chewing on a piece of bone. I gazed upon the cockatrice, but one cannot gaze with eyes of stone. To look upon a basilisk is really never worth the risk. To gaze upon a cockatrice is permanent and never nice. For it can never be denied life isn't pleasant, petrified. * Barnabas: Is that it? * Destruction: This is it indeed. * Barnabas: Ah... paws shuffling Well, at least it wasn't long... * Destruction: I take it you weren't overly impressed, then. * Barnabas: Doggerel. Rubbishly doggerel. * Destruction: scoff Really? * Barnabas: Really. You also overuse the word "never" inthe final stanza. * Destruction: Well, I guess you would know "dog-gerel", wouldn't you? Eh? * Barnabas: groan Spare me. pawsteps So, what remarkable fears going to accomplish today now that we got your need for useless creativity out of the way? * Destruction: footsteps, clatter The ususal. I'm going to work more on my crafts. You're going to sit in the sun, scratch for fleas, romp about, eat and sleep. footsteps Who knows, though, maybe you'll gaze up at me adoringly from time to time, my faithful hound. * Barnabas: Hmph... In your dreams. pawsteps * Destruction: I don't dream, though. footsteps A pitstop to my home would only risk giving away our position. * Barnabas: I don't see what you're so worried about. pawsteps * Destruction: No, you wouldn't, Barnabas. You never met my family. * Barnabas: pawsteps You ever think you're so expletive at these creative pursuits since you don't dream? * Destruction: My brother is not the source of inspiration. door opens He may think he is, but it's not so. * Barnabas: door closes, sniff Wait, I smell food. Where'd this all come form? * Destruction: I went down to the village to get some provisions earlier. * Barnabas: Where was I? * Destruction: Scraping your butt across my floor. * Barnabas: Our floor, I think you meant to say... Oh, well, uh... did you get any salami? * Destruction: Possibly... chuckle * Barnabas: Any chocolate? * Destruction: Oh, I don't think so. * Barnabas: What did you get all that food for? * Destruction: Has it ever occured to you, dear Barnabas, that cooking is one of the fine arts? * Barnabas: Not that I recall, no... * Destruction: It is. One takes raw materials and one transforms them, by the simple application of a knife, some heat, some judicious mixing, into something miraculously different than the mere sum of its parts. * Barnabas: You've never cooked anything as long as I've known you. * Destruction: Haven't I? * Barnabas: Well, I wouldn't call it cooking... Wait, am I going to be forced to eat whatever the final product is? * Destruction: That depends on how it turns out. * Barnabas: This is another one of your ideas, isn't it? Like that thing you left in the garden? * Destruction: Thing? Thing?! Barnabas, that thing is a sculpture! * Barnabas: A sculpture? Of what? A big rock with holes in it? * Destruction: scoff, sigh, chuckle I'll tell you what, Barnabas. The hammer and chisel are in the hall. There's another marble block in the shed. Why don't you do your won sculpture and I'll laugh at what you make? How's that sound? Sound like a nice change for a change? chuckle * Barnabas: Hmph... Leaving aside the issue of hands, I have no desire to ruin a perfectly good piece of marble. Dogs have more sense. We don't make fools of ourselves like you humans do. * Destruction: Of course you don't, but I'm not human... * Barnabas: Speaking of which, you know, there have been more crashings and bashings and bubblings from that back room of yours. * Destruction: I'm sure there have been. footsteps, clatter Now, what could I have been thinking? It appears I did buy some chocolate after all. How about that? * Barnabas: rapid footsteps Really? * Destruction: Yes... Okay, sit! * Barnabas: clatter * Destruction: Good! Now, beg! * Barnabas: whimper * Destruction: Here you go! whoosh * Barnabas: snarf, chomp, chomp, pawsteps, gulp, pant Mm... That's good chocolate. Hey, that was fun. Can we do that again? Please? whimper Come on. Please? * Destruction: No, maybe later. For now... pulled from cutting block Leave me to cook, Barnabas. A culinary artist needs five things. Good ingredients, a sharp knife, a little inspiration, a discerning palate, and a dog-free kitchen! * Barnabas: So what are you if you have one of those? footsteps Hee! He-he-he-he-he-he! * Destruction: Barnabas... footsteps, clatter, chop, chop, chop * Barnabas: pant, pawsteps, clamber, door opens, pant, pawsteps, pawsteps, sigh, rapid pawsteps, yawn, scratch, yawn, thid, snore, elapsed time: 52 minutes, 27 seconds, snore yawn, scratch, scratch, pawsteps, sigh, yawn, sniff, sniff Huh? pawsteps, clamber, rapid pawsteps, bark, bark, bark * Delirium: footsteps oh, Hullo thEre, DOggY. scratch, scratch YoU'RE A VeRY Nice doGGY, aRen't yOu? yes, yEs, yOu aRe! scratch, scratch, giggle tHe cHERRY stONES SAy I'M GOinG to BE A KANgAROo WhEn i gROw Up... DID YOu kNOW thaT? * Barnabas: Hmm? * Delirium: Oh, sorRY, DoN't wORrY AboUT that. THAt'S iNsenSE To You, ISn'T It? i'm dEL, whaT'S yOUR NamE? * Destruction: sigh His name is Barnabas... * Delirium/Dream: 2 instances * Destruction: sigh Well, come up here then, you two. Where I can see you properly... * Delirium: bROTher?! rapid footsteps * Destruction: Ah, let me look at you, lass. Pretty as ever you were... and yes, I do believe you've grown some. * Delirium: giggle yOu NotiCEd! * Destruction: And you, my brother... * Dream: footsteps * Destruction: You also seem different. Perhaps you too have grown? * Dream: It is not likely. * Destruction: No? Stranger things have happened. sigh, chuckle Ah, well, let us retire inside. You two must have travelled a long way. You're probably rather hungry. 3 instances, pawsteps, door close To be honest, I was expecting you to arrive a little earlier. * Dream: You were expecting us? * Destruction: I'm afraid so. Now, I am sure we have much to discuss... So, please, take a seat. I've made a dinner. * chair sliding, clatter, footsteps, chair sliding, clatter, footsteps, clatter, chair sliding, clatter * Destruction: Please, eat! silence: 15 seconds, sigh I expect you're wondering why I called you here... * Dream: You... called us here? * Destruction: chuckle Well, no... Not really. That was more in the way of a joke, I suppose... to set you at ease. Trivia and Notes * Story continues from VOX Box: D is for Discretion. * Story continues in VOX Box: D is for Dinner Table Talk. * Debut of Barnabas and Destruction of the Endless. Links and References * VOX Box: D is for Discerning Palate Category:VOX Box Category:Destruction/Appearances Category:Barnabas/Appearances Category:Delirium/Appearances Category:Dream/Appearances Category:Endless/Appearances Category:Corto Maltese/Appearances